Dust-settling machine



Feb. 1, 1927. 1,1 11,1;

/ F. H. CAMPBELL DUST SETTLING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATI'ORNEY Feb. 1, 1927.

F. H. CAMPBELL DUST SETTLING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Feb, 1 9 1927..

F. H. CAMPBELL DUST SETTLING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR body travels.

Patented Feb. 1, 1927.

FENTON H. CAMPBELL, OF ANSTED, WEST VTRGINIA.

DUST-SETTLING MACHINE.

Application filed March 28, 1925. Serial No. 19,125.

In coal mines the tunnels and haul-ways become coated with coal dust, and as this substance is highly inflammable and easily ignited disastrous explosions thereof have frequently occurred. It has been the custom to sprinkle such coal dust covered places and passages with water which, however, is susceptible to absorption so that its effectiveness is only short lived. Aftera number of experiments the U. S. Bureau of Mines has recommended that stone dust be used for covering the coal dust to render the same ractically non-explosive. Therefore it may e considered the primary object of this in vention to, provide a means which will automatically spray stone dust over all of the surfaces of a tunnel, haul-way or the like in coal mines in its passage therethrough.

A further object is the provision of a means for accomplishing this purpose, comprising a wheeled body that includes a hopper for the stone dust, a conveyor for dehvering the stone dust tothe rear of the hopper and against revolving blades, for act.- ing on the dust and force the same in all directions from the device, causing the stone dust to be sprayed onto all of the walls'of the portion of the mine through which the A ,further object of the invention is the provision of means for this purpose includ ing a wheeled body designed to travel over a mine track, and whereinmotion is imparted from the wheels of the body for conveying the stone or rock dust onto revoluble blades, also actuated by the turning of the wheels of the body and which will impart a centrifugal action on the dust to cause the same to be sprayed on the sides, top and bottom of the passageway through which the body is wheeled.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pecifically pointed out in the appended c ann.

'In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote 'like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Flgure 1 1s a rear end view of the 1mprovement.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

As disclosed by the drawings, I make use of a wheeled body. The body includes a base frame 1 provided, adjacent to its ends, with suitable bearings for the axles of the wheels 2 andv 3, respectively. Preferably the bearings for the axle of the rear wheels 3 are yieldable, and the wheels 2 and 3 are designed to travel on the rails 4 of tracks that are laid in the tunnels or haul-ways in a coal mine.

From the base frame 1 there arises suitable uprights, between the rear pairs of which there is supported a hopper 5. The hopper has its sides inclined inwardly, and the redueed bottom thereof has its lower wall round in cross section. In this portion of the hopper there is journaled. a spiral conveyor 6. A cross bar or spider 6 fixed to the bottom portion of the hopper, provides a bearing for the outer end of the conveyor. The inner end of the conveyor has fixed thereon a shaft 7which is directed toward the front of the frame and has fixed thereon a beveled gear 8. The shaft 7 is journaled in suitable bearings, and the gear 8 is in mesh with a smaller gear 9 that is fixed on a vertically disposed shaft 10, the latter, of course, being journaled in suitable bearings. Also on the shaft 10, below the gear 9, there is fixed a second gear 11 that is in mesh with a gear 12 that is freely mounted on the axle 13 for the front wheels 2. The gear 12 is held from longitudinal movement on the said shaft 13, and has its hub in the nature of a clutch element 14:. The clutch surface 14. is engageable with a slidable clutch member 15 arranged on a spline or spline-way on the shaft 13 and the slidable clutch element 15 is actuated by a lever 16 which is pivoted to the front of the frame.

Below the upper bearing of the shaft 10, there is fixed on the said shaft a gear 17 which is in mesh with a smaller gear 18 that is secured on one end of a longitudinally disposed shaft 19. The shaft is not only journaled in bearings on the frame of the construction but is received through a tubular bearing 20 in the bottom of the hopper above the conveyor 6. The tube 20 is of a view on line 3-3 of length equaling that of the hopper,'and in addition to providing a bearing for the shaft 19, the said tube, being located centrally with respect to the longitudinal plane of the spiral conveyor 6, directs the rock dust to the sides and away from the center of the conveyor. The shaft 20 is extended beyond the rear wall of the hopper and has secured on its end the hub of what I will term a propeller 21. Upon its hub the propeller is provided with angularly arranged radially disposed blades 22, and it is to be noted that the blades of the propeller are disposed adjacent to the outlet end of the conveyor 6. The propeller is received in and protected by an open guard 23.

There is fixed on the front axle 13 and on the rear axle 24 of the device, aligning sprocket wheels and around these wheels there is trained an endless chain 25. Thus it will be noted that both the front and rear wheels of the improvement serve to impart motion to the rotary elements of the improvement. 7

From the foregoing description when taken in connectlon with the drawings it will be noted that the device when wheeled directed by the conveyor against the blades of the propeller, will, through the medium of the latter, receive a whirling motion in a circular direction so that the said dust will be spread against and will settle on both the side walls, the top and bottom walls of the tunnel or haul-way. When the clutch element 15 is brought out of clutchin en agement with the clutch surface 14, t e evice may be propelled without operating the pro peller or conveyor.

The interengaging ears are so pitched that the conveyor 6 wifi be turned at a comparatively low rate of speed, while the propeller 21 is rapidly revolved.

It is'thought from the foregoing descrip t1on that the advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is A machine for the purpose set forth, comprising a wheeled body, a hopper supported thereon and having inclined sides and an inclined end which merge into a central reduced bottom, the lower wall of which is rounded, a spiral conveyor in the bottom'of the hopper, a tube extending longitudinally through the hopper disposed directly above and centrally with respect to the conveyor, a shaft journaled through the tube, apropeller having its hub fixed on the outer end of the shaft, said propeller including angle blades radiating from its hub, an open guard for the propeller, the bottom of the hopper, next to the propeller being open, and means, actuated by the propulsion of the wheeled body, for revolving the shaft and propeller at different rates of speed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FENTON I-I. CAMPBELL. 

